Peter Pan and the Revenge of the Jolly Roger
by RoXySuRfEr12
Summary: On a cold, winter night in present-day London, Emma, an orphan, flies away to Neverland with Peter Pan! Join Peter, Emma, and the Lost Boys as they try and find their happy thoughts to outwit the newfound captain of the Jolly Roger, Captain Blood.
1. An Unexpected Visitor

Chapter 1

An Unexpected Visitor

Emma walked along the grass as the winter sun shone against her pale face and the wind blew through her brown hair gracefully. Despite the cold, Emma was still wearing short, jean shorts for that was all that they had given her at the orphanage. She shivered because of the few snowflakes falling to the ground, but continued on her way back to St. Agnes Orphanage. She glanced at an empty, bright red telephone booth on her way back from the library that lay on the corner, a few blocks south of the orphanage. She had managed to steal away for a few moments to hurry to the library to pick up an exciting read. As she came to the large door of the orphanage that had been her home for a few weeks, the bright smile vanished from her face, for the door had opened, revealing a terrible woman: Ms. Beatrice Smyth.

Ms. Smyth glared down at Emma for a brief second and dragged her into the lonely building. She thought that maybe she should not have risked her well being for a book, but she had wanted to engulf herself in another fantasy to escape the tragic event that had happened weeks before.

"How dare you run away like that!" yelled Ms. Smyth as she pulled Emma by the ear up the oak staircase, past some of the children who were watching the television in the other room. "And for what purpose?" she questioned and grabbed the book that she was grasping tightly in her small hands. "Peter Pan?" she spat when she saw the cover of the tattered book, and threw it over the side of the railing, sending it to the floor many feet below us. Emma longingly gazed at the classic book that's pages flew as they sailed to the ground.

"But Ms. Smyth," Emma began, but was silenced by a tightened grip on her arm. Ms. Smyth swung open the door to the hallway closet that was filled with the dirty laundry of the other children and teenagers at the orphanage and locked the door with her key.

"This should teach you not to leave!" Ms. Smyth screamed as she peered through the crack in the door and stared Emma straight in the eye with her cold gray eyes. Ms. Smyth turned on her heel and started down the hall to the children's rooms and hurried them off down the stairs for supper. Though Emma was painfully hungry, she did not dare pound on the door for someone to let her out, for she feared that Ms. Smyth would beat her. Instead, she slid down the edge of the wall and plopped down onto a dirty, old jacket. Being as cold as it was in the wintertime in London, she tightly wrapped the jacket round her body and began to shed a few tears because she missed my parents dearly.

Just a few weeks before, her parents had died tragically in a car accident, and having no family friends or relatives in the area since they had just moved from Surrey to London recently, the authorities had no idea where to place a fifteen-year-old girl except for in the vacant St. Agnes Orphanage. Emma was suffering from an awful loss and had expected the masters to console her, but they all seemed to ignore her, and Ms. Smyth abused her. Ms. Smyth forbade the children to talk to the "unwelcome, little brat," and they obeyed her, for they did not want to be abused as well. Emma would cry herself to sleep every night as she sat beside the window and gazed up at the stars, wishing that she could somehow escape her terrible nightmare.

Emma lay asleep in the closet, shivering from the cold, for a few hours. Finally, Ms. Smyth opened the door long after night had fallen, and shoved Emma's shoulder aggressively to wake her up. Ms. Smyth's blonde hair was pulled back in a tight bun causing her skin to look extremely pinched. Her small, silver glasses lay perfectly on her pointy nose, and her fierce eyes stared her down mirthlessly. She whispered harshly at Emma to wake immediately and get into the bedroom, and so she followed her orders.

The twenty girls lay quietly in their beds, dreaming of wonderful things, as Emma clambered into the bed that sat beside the window, not bothering to change into her pajamas. Ms. Smyth tossed her a look of disgust and hurried off out of the bedroom, her nightgown flowing behind her. It must have been the early hours of the morning, and Emma knew no one was going to be awake, so she lowered the thin sheets of her bed and crept out of bed and down the hall. She leaned over the side of the railing, and sure enough, the prized book had disappeared. Ms. Smyth had obviously thrown it away as a punishment, she thought. As if having her locked in an ice cold chamber was not enough!

Sulking, Emma walked silently back into the bedroom, passing the peaceful girls, and sat down in the window seat. The sky was beautiful that night, and she stared out at the stars and the brilliantly shining moon, wishing that her parents still had the opportunity to watch that same stars and the same moon that she was. A few tears had welled up in her eyes as she thought about her parents and how much she missed them, when suddenly she heard a noise in the hallway. Thinking it was Ms. Smyth, she dove to her bed that was only a few meters away, and pretended to be asleep.

Suddenly, Emma heard the door to the bedroom open, but when she opened one of her eyes to see who had entered the room, no one was there. Confused, she sat up straight in bed and peered around the darkened room, searching for whoever had entered. Little did Emma know, but a boy was just above her head, perched on one of the white rafters in the ceiling. He had dirty, blonde hair, and beautiful blue eyes that stared down at the girl magically. A small creature floated beside the boy, glowing a faint, golden color.

Emma was not able to fall back asleep, and lay in her bed for a few minutes with her eyes closed, but her ears open for any sudden or unexpected sound. When the phone rang in the hallway unanswered, she decided to race out of her bedroom to pick it up, but the person had hung up before she reached the phone.

Then Emma noticed that her book, _Peter Pan_, lay in the trashcan beside her. She leaned down and reached for the book whose pages were almost all torn. She opened it for a brief second, gazing at the few words on the page being that of 'Tinker Bell' and 'Captain Hook', and smiled. She idolized that fantasy world that she could now enjoy.

The boy, wearing an outfit made entirely of leaves and roots, had remarkably flown down from the rafters to the floor beside Emma's bed and walked silently into the boys' dormitory that was immediately next to the girls. He was followed directly by his tiny fairy that lingered by his ear. The boy opened the door to the boys' dormitory and crept inside. He quietly closed the door just as Emma had spun around to walk back into the girls' bedroom. Instead of walking back into her bedroom, however, Emma stopped beside the closed door to the boys' dormitory when hearing a faint voice from inside.

"Tink! What are you doing? Stop!" whispered the boy as his fairy flew around in violent circles about the room, "You can't wake up everyone! We're only to take a few of the boys!" he said urgently as his fairy pulled on the tiny boys' ears, but it was not enough to make them wake up.

Emma pulled open the door, curious as to who was shouting a name that she had just read in the book. Standing in the small lane between the several beds stood a boy, a bit younger than her with tasseled hair and an outfit that looked as though he had just come from a jungle safari. The boy, startled at a girl in his presence for the first time in ages, jumped aback.

"Who are you?" whispered Emma.

"I am Peter…Peter Pan!" the boy stated proudly and bowed.

"What?" Emma laughed, not believing what the boy was saying.

"I have come to collect these boys to join me in Neverland as my faithful Lost Boys!" exclaimed Peter a bit too loudly, which caused Emma to push a finger to her mouth to hush him.

"You mean, you are the boy who had an entire novel written about him?" she asked, pointing to the book that she held in front of her.

The boy that called himself Peter Pan walked cautiously towards Emma and snatched the book from her hand unexpectedly. He gawked at the cover of the book because a drawing of a boy that looked identical to him was painted on. The boy flipped through the pages quickly, glancing at the pictures that showed him some of his passed adventures, like battling Captain Hook with Wendy, his first and only love, that had died years ago of old age.

"I'm a story," said the boy disbelievingly as a ball of light zoomed around his head. Amazed at the sight of a fairy, Emma began to believe that the boy was indeed the legendary Peter Pan, "I'm a story!" the boy exclaimed loudly, excited to have become a story of his own.

"You are Peter Pan!" Emma said happily.

"Yeah, of course I am!" said the boy, still looking through the pages of the book with drawings, "Who wrote this? Wendy did, didn't she?"

"No," said Emma, and pointed to the author's name on the cover, "J.M. Barrie did. He lived long ago of course."

"Wendy was always a wonderful storyteller," the boy continued, ignoring what Emma was telling him, and shoved the book back into her hands. "Well, it was nice meeting you," the boy said to Emma, and flew up into the air, hovering above some of the boys' beds.

"You can fly!" shouted Emma, completely forgetting that there were sleeping boys in the room that could wake at any moment. Peter shrugged and smiled at her, then tapped a boy on the nose to wake him up. He did so to five other boys, ones that Emma had never acquainted with before, and they all woke up groggily. When they saw that Peter Pan was flying just above them, they sprang out of bed and begged for him to hurl fairy dust on them so that they could think their happy thoughts and fly away to Neverland.

Peter wondered how all of the boys already knew of his secret on how to fly, but he did not bother to dwell on the subject and quickly grabbed Tinker Bell and squeezed her tight, sending fairy dust all over the boys' heads. The boys were all smiling brightly, and one by one, they all began to float higher and higher into the rafters above their beds. Emma thought that she was dreaming and pinched her arm to wake up. It was then that she realized that she was not dreaming, and that Peter Pan, the fictional character of her childhood, really did exist!

"I'm not dreaming! This is real!" yelled Emma and Peter glanced over to her and laughed once more.

"Off to Neverland we go!" yelled Peter and the young boys began to fly out of the window, "Second star to the right, don't forget!" he shouted after them.

"Wait!" yelled Emma, as Peter was about to set off behind the boys, "I wish to join you, Peter Pan!" He spun around in the air and tossed a cute look about his face.

"If you wish it," he said with a smile and seized Tinker Bell who was still zooming about the air, and squeezed her tightly, sending fairy dust on Emma. Her happy thought at that moment was escaping the orphanage and living a storybook life, and she soared up and up into the air. Peter reached for her arm, and they flew out of the window, just as Mrs. Smyth had entered the dormitory to see what the fuss was about.


	2. Entering Neverland

Chapter 2

Entering Neverland

Emma was floating just above the orphanage when she heard Mrs. Smyth's angered shouts from inside the dormitory. She looked down at the building once more, and then gazed ahead at the sea of clouds and the boys flying ahead of her into the night sky. Peter, who had been floating beside her, smirked at her mischievously, then grabbed her hand and flipped her upside down. Giggling, Emma chased after Peter through the air as they flew by the Tower of London. It was four in the morning, and no one seemed to be on the streets except for a few young adults who had returned from clubs. Playfully, Peter swooped down and snatched one of their American baseball caps. He sailed up to Emma who was speedily flying through the air and set the cap on her head.

"Who are you?" he asked with a smile, for he had still not learned her name.

"Emma Hampton," she said as she swirled majestically through a cloud. Peter repeated her name to try and remember it in his mind, and then grabbed her hand so that they could catch up to the boys who were flying far ahead of them.

The children flew like birds through the sky, and then up into space, where planets whizzed by them. The colors were blinding; oranges, reds, pinks, and purples surrounded Emma and the boys. The stars gleamed brightly in the black sky and Emma took in the scenery with a deep, relieving breath. Peter, however, was almost numb to the beauty since he had traveled the route so many times before. Realizing that it was a good time to speed up their flying, Peter ordered for everyone to grab hold of one's ankle.

"Don't let go!" yelled Peter as the line of eight children shot into a colorful portal of baby pink wind and mists.

Then they emerged into another sea of stars that transformed into what seemed like an endless ocean of sky-blue water. They flew up and up and up back into the pink, fluffy clouds and they all hopped on them. Emma was reminded of her trampoline in her old house in Surrey as she jumped from one to the other, the morning sun beating down upon her face, and the gentle breeze sifting through her hair. Then, she spotted a huge island below them: Neverland.

The island was immense, with soaring mountains and beautiful trees that could be seen from the sky. Though Emma had read _Peter Pan_ before and knew that the scenery was going to be gorgeous, she was still short of breath when she saw the island through a tiny hole in the cloud. When she saw it for the first time, she even dropped the book that she had been grasping the entire flight, and it fell through a small hole in the cloud. She plopped down on the pillow-like cloud and peered through the hole to try and see where the book was going to land, so that she could retrieve it. She was about to fly down to get it, but then Peter's loud voice interrupted her thoughts.

"All aboard!" yelled Peter as he sat at the front of a neighboring cloud. The boys giggled and jumped behind him, pretending to board a train. Peter lifted a marshmallow piece of cloud from the beneath him and put it over his lip so it appeared as though he had a thick mustache. "Woo! Woo!" howled Peter, mocking a train's whistle. Emma tore her eyes away from the hole and turned to watch Peter as a conductor and the boys as passengers. Wishing to also be a part of the fun, she hopped a few clouds over and took a seat next to Peter, remembering that she did not need the book _Peter Pan_ with her anymore, for she was going to be with the real boy forever anyway!

"I believe it is time to leave the station," piped in a small, freckle-faced boy, with perfectly combed red hair.

"Correct, dear boy!" shouted Peter. Tinker Bell, who was still zooming about through the air, was extremely excited that a few new friends had come to Neverland, so it was a bit difficult for Peter Pan to grab her in midair, but eventually did, and managed to squeeze a bit of fairy dust onto the cloud.

Suddenly the cloud zoomed forward, much like a train. Shouts of joy and surprise arose from the children as the cloud spiraled down into the direction of the sea. Just as they were about to hit the water, Peter pulled up on the edge of the cloud and it shot straight towards the shore of the island. Emma was laughing hysterically and Peter gazed at her for a mere second, seeing that he saw her in the same light as he did Wendy so long ago.

The cloud began to vanish as it became closer and closer to the shore, and when they reached the beach, the cloud had disintegrated and the laughs of the children were dying down.

"That was just like a roller coaster!" said a boy who was still giggling uncontrollably as he and the other boys followed Peter into the forest.

"A what?" asked Peter, but no one answered for they had spotted a band of malicious pirates wandering the path just before them. Peter stood still and motioned for the children all to hide as he flew into the air. Emma, fearing for Peter, grabbed him by his disgusting foot and pulled him down to the ground.

"Be careful, Peter," she said sweetly.

"I'm Peter Pan!" he laughed, "I'll be careful," he said with his forever-boyish smile. Emma released Peter's foot and took a seat behind a bush with another boy, and Peter sailed off into the air.

Emerging out of the thick of the forest and into a clearing was Bloody Shadrach Rackham, the newfound captain of the Jolly Roger. He was a pirate with a smile so vain that it even sent a chill down his hearties' bones. His heart was as black as night, and his eyes were as dark a green as the various trees in the forest. Captain Blood, as his crew called him since he had shed so much blood during his lifetime (to his own crew and other creatures of Neverland), had blonde hair, pulled back in a low ponytail, and if it was not for his unruly personality, one might find him quite of an attractive man. One thing that set Captain Blood extremely different from the rest was his _one_ leg. He was walking, very well however, with one wooden leg and another healthy one.

Emma was entranced by her first glimpse at a real pirate, and him being very handsome had her wanting dearly to jump out from her spot and introduce herself, but thought better of it, since that would be an idiotic thing to do. However, when she saw that Captain Blood was grasping her book, _Peter Pan_, she dearly wanted to get it back in her own hands.

"I know that Peter is in this forest," said Captain Blood, his voice low and dark, "When this book landed on my head, I knew it was sign that the boy has come back!" he yelled to the other pirates that came into the clearing behind him.

There were over thirty pirates in all, and each and everyone had something different hideous about themselves. For instance, while one pirate had disgusting scars about his face, another had no eyes, and another had only one arm. Emma winced at the sight of one particular pirate who had a huge gash just above his right shoulder that seemed to be oozing with blood. She wondered if Peter was in fact going to try and overthrow Captain Blood and the crew of the Jolly Roger, and thought it almost impossible since they looked so horrifying and menacing. But, then again, he was Peter Pan.

Looming in the treetops of the forest was the boy who would never grow up. Peter flew from side to side, intently watching Captain Blood, not even cringing at the sights of the other disgusting pirates. Unexpectedly, Peter zoomed down and snatched Captain Blood's forest-green hat that matched the captain's eyes, and then took a seat a few meters above the pirates on a long tree branch.

Startled, Captain Blood frantically turned around, trying to find the culprit of his stolen hat. Thinking it was the plump pirate that stood behind him Captain Blood slit his throat, and the pirate fell to the ground with a loud thud. Captain Blood then realized that none of his pirates had stolen his hat, and slowly gazed up at the branch where Peter sat comfortably, wearing the huge, green hat with a large white feather sticking out the end.

"Well, well, well," Captain Blood said, his voice cold as ice as he saw the grinning Peter Pan, "If it isn't my favorite child, Peter Pan, the same boy that killed my dear friend, Captain Hook. But perhaps I should be thanking you, Pan, since if you hadn't killed the brute, then I would not be the magnificent captain of the Jolly Roger!" he shouted, grinning maliciously at Peter. Sensing that Captain Blood was going to jump up and grab Peter's dangling foot at any second, he flew a bit higher, and floated there as the captain continued his speech.

"However," he continued as he wandered around the forest floor, "I'm not going to thank you, Pan," he spat, "I'm going to kill you!"

"Ah!" sighed Peter smiling, "That won't be too easy, beloved Captain Shadrach!" The pirates all laughed at the sound of their captain's idiotic name, and in retaliation, Captain Blood shot one of them down dead.

"You keep doing that, Shadrach-a-ma-bob and you're not going to have much of a crew left, now are you?" Peter smiled mischievously.

Captain Blood pointed his long, golden pistol at Peter and shot it off, but Peter was too fast for him and quickly dodged the bullet. Emma, who was afraid that it was about to hit him, had jumped a few centimeters into the air. A nearby pirate turned to the shaking shrub and began to snort loudly; trying to smell whatever was hidden in the bush. Emma held her breath as the dark-skinned boy that sat beside her scurried off on his hands and knees into the thick of the forest. The pirate's nose was just above Emma's hair, and he was about to reach for Emma's neck when Peter flew in between them, picking up Emma in his arms and knocking the pirate down. That caused a domino effect where all the pirates fell down on top of each other.

Peter flew through the trees, holding Emma tightly, and sprinkling fairy dust on the small boys chasing after him as he flew, causing them all to accompany the two in the air. Captain Blood watched them disappear into the trees, and shot another one of his crewmembers in disgust and walked off in the direction of his ship docked at the beach.

"That was the last time that Pan has escaped my grasp!" said Captain Blood to Smee, a bearded, elderly man, who followed quickly behind him on to the dock. "Tonight, we lure Pan and all of his little friends into the Black Castle," he said to the crew and they all smiled their horrid smiles, and clambered onto the Jolly Roger.


	3. Feelings

Chapter 3

Feelings

"All right, this is the top-secret-never-tell-anyone-where-it-is-not-even-yourself-or-me, hideout," said Peter as they all landed in front of a brownish, grayish boulder that was buried beneath a few shrubs.

"This is where we got to live?" asked one of the boys.

"Watch this!" said Peter magically, and pulled on one of the leaves that caused the rock to float in the air, revealing a small chute beneath it.

"Wicked!" shouted a dark-haired boy excitedly and jumped down the dirt chute.

"After you," Peter said to Emma after all of the boys had slid down the chute into the hideout. Emma then dove into the chute happily, with Peter right after her, and they glided down the slide for a few seconds until they rolled onto the ground of a large room.

The room was a cave with stalagmites sticking out of the ground, but Peter had done his best to make it a homey space. There were a few beds made out of leaves and roots of trees, and a long, wooden table with a few chairs placed around it. Swords, cannons, and guns were tossed about the ground, waiting their time to be used in battle. Emma carefully picked up one of the swords admirably, balanced it on her finger, and then flipped it up into the air and caught it once more.

"Very impressive," said Peter as drew his sword from his belt, "But can you fight?" he grinned. The boys gathered around Peter and Emma, creating a small sword-fighting circle.

"I believe it wouldn't be too difficult," Emma said with a laugh. Peter gazed at her, admiring her beautiful smile, but Emma struck her sword against his. Their faces became extremely close; almost close enough for a kiss. However, they both pulled away and continued to swordfight.

Though Emma had never picked up a sword in her life, she was remarkably talented in the area. Peter, the fine swordsman that he was, could not believe how well she handled the sword, and how many times Emma could have sliced his arm off, but had chosen not to. The two children were having a wonderful time watching Peter and Emma playfully fight, and the two fighters were enjoying it just as much. Emma, for the first time since her parents had died, was sincerely happy, and their death did not cross her mind whenever she looked at Peter.

The boys made a pathway for Peter and Emma as the swordfight led them up through the cave. Finally, Peter managed to corner Emma against the wall of the cave. His sword was at her throat, but of course he had no thoughts of actually harming her, for they were just fighting for fun! However, he dearly wanted to lean in and give her a kiss. As Peter leaned in closer to Emma, he told her quietly, "I wish to give you a thimble, Emma."

Emma knew exactly what Peter meant by a 'thimble' for her mother had read _Peter Pan_ to her many times when she was a child, and she wished that he would do so!

"If you wish it," she replied longingly. As their lips were about to touch, the boys came dashing to the scene, trying to see who had won the swordfight, for Peter and Emma had ventured off far beyond the room. To cover up what was just about to happen, Peter took his sword and pushed it at Emma's throat again. Pretending to be frightened, Emma called out for help from the boys.

"I shall rescue you!" said one, and took off his watch and threw it at Peter. Peter spun around just as the watch hit him square in the nose, and the children exploded with laughter. Even Peter managed a silly smile.

"And for that deed," said Peter after recovering from the blow, "You have earned the name Tosser, since you tossed that at my nose, saving your mother!"

The dark-haired boy beamed at his new name and began shouting it out through the cave, jumping around ecstatically. Soon, every one of the boys wanted a new name such as Tosser's, but Peter said that they had to do something incredible, such as Tosser, to earn a nickname. Slyly, Peter told them that whoever found the most food for supper would be rewarded a nickname, so they all bolted out of the cave, and up the chute to the forest to gather food for the night, including Tosser who did not want to be left of the fun, leaving Peter and Emma alone.

The two made their way back to the main room in the cave that was lit by several candles. They began to pick up the swords and guns and hung them up on a few silver hooks that had previously belonged to Captain Hook's hand. Curious as to how Peter had managed to come across so many weapons, Emma asked him where he had gotten all of them. Breathing a deep sigh, he began his story, sitting down on the empty, wooden table.

"You read my story, right Emma?" said Peter, referring to the book.

"The book!" shouted Emma, remembering that it had fallen down through the clouds, "I dropped it," she said tragically as she sat in a chair beside the table.

"Oh, it doesn't matter! At least you know the story, right?" he asked.

"Yes, almost too well!" she laughed.

"Well, you must remember Captain Hook," he exclaimed, curving his finger round to make it look as though he had a hook himself, "and how I fed him to the croc!" Laughing at Peter's impression of the wicked captain, she nodded and urged him to continue. "But Captain Hook, though he's dead, still lives on in Captain Shadrach Rackham, or Captain Blood as most call him. Or that's just how the legend goes. You see, when Captain Hook died, complete peace was restored in Neverland. But many years later came Captain Blood, falling down from the skies and into the water! I wasn't there to witness it, but some of my old Lost Boys…" he trailed off.

"What happened to them?" asked Emma sadly, sensing that Peter had an emotional story to tell.

"They…they…" he stuttered, "They were at the beach when Captain Blood floated ashore. Each one of them had their daggers out, but the captain was too quick for them, and killed them all!" Peter's eyes began to well up with tears, "And it was all my fault! I was in London at the time, visiting Wendy who was really old and really sick, and I couldn't leave her! So, I didn't leave for Neverland for about a month! I even aged a bit while I was there…and then Captain Blood was in control of Neverland for that entire time, and I didn't even know!" Peter said, now tears streaming down his face. He felt so guilty about the death of his Lost Boys, and also of Wendy, even though he could not control the curse of old age and sickness. Emma held his hand, trying to calm him down.

"But when I came back," said Peter, an angry and vengeful look about his face, "There was snow everywhere, and a coldness and darkness lurked in every corner. I found out from the Indians that a new pirate, Captain Blood, had taken over and killed my friends. I flew directly to the Jolly Roger and cut off his leg, not even challenging him to a fair fight. I took the rogue by surprise then stole all of his weapons from the armory!" he shouted with a menacing tone about him, and Emma was almost scared to be near Peter for he was acting so mad.

"Now he knows better than to mess with Peter Pan!" Peter screamed as he tore his hand away from Emma's and pounded it on the table, emotions overcoming his mind. He looked to Emma with his puffy eyes, hoping for comfort. "I am so sorry…I am so sorry," he whispered as he gazed back down the table. Peter was apologizing to the Lost Boys for losing them those many years ago. Feeling hopeless, Emma just put her arm around Peter, and he nuzzled his face into her sweatshirt and cried for several minutes, letting out all of the feelings that he had been holding in for a _long_ time.


	4. Pirates in the Forest

Chapter 4

Pirates in the Forest

The newfound Lost Boys returned hours later, carrying enough food to fill all nine, including Tinker Bell's, of their bellies to their full capacities. By the time they had arrived, Peter had recovered from his emotional breakdown, and Emma and Peter had set out all of the plates and cups for the feast that night on the table. The Lost Boys could not hold in their excitement for their new names, and Peter felt bad about not assigning everyone a name fairly, but he did not know any of the boys well enough to properly name them, so, disappointingly, he had to inform them that he would name them, for sure, by the end of the day.

The boys' long faces disappeared as Emma and Tinker Bell finished preparing the food and set it out on each and every one of their plates. Tinker Bell had added her magic fairy dust to it so that it had an extra sweet taste, which delighted Peter and the boys tremendously! The food was devoured almost immediately. All of the glazed birds, the rainbow-colored fruits, and overflowing cups of tasty drinks seemed to vanish before their eyes.

As Peter had sipped the last of his drink, a loud knocking came from above. Everyone looked around puzzled at what could be making the noise, and Peter flew over and up through the chute to the stone. Whatever was knocking on the stone was right above Peter's head. He thought of whether or not to open it, but when he heard the familiar drum of an Indian, he pulled on a leaf and the rock rose, revealing his very close friend.

Princess Tiger Lily, a pretty young Indian princess stood at the entrance, banging on her drum. Without speaking, she dove over Peter and down the chute. Peter slid down after her after pulling on the leaf to close the entrance, and then toppled over her when he hit the ground. She was overcome with grief, since Indians always played their drums whenever there was important news, and Peter could tell from the look in her eyes that she was clearly upset and had news regarding her mood. She began to speak in her Indian tongue, and Peter could understand every word of it. The boys, Emma, and Tink, however, looked extremely confused as she rambled on in another language.

"What's she saying?" Emma finally asked desperately when Tiger Lily stopped talking.

"She says," said Peter, his voice growing softer, "that she saw a few pirates coming this way, talking of how they know where our hideout is!"

"But you haven't told anyone, have you Peter?" Emma asked, worried that maybe Tiger Lily had blurted the truth. But then Emma remembered that Tiger Lily could not even speak English, and that even if she had told some of the Indians, they would not tell anyone outside of their tribe.

"No! I swear! The only ones that know are the ones in this room right now!" said Peter.

"Then how do the pirates know?" said Emma.

"I honestly don't know," said Peter, "But all I know is that we have to leave the hideout immediately 'cause then the pirates could ambush us!" And with that, the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell, Tiger Lily, Emma, and Peter Pan went up the chute and out of the secret entrance.

Though it would seem as though Peter was doing the right thing in leading everyone out of the hideout, the pirates had no idea where his hideout was located. Captain Blood ordered a few of the pirates to mingle outside of the Indian teepee area and talk of how they knew where Peter Pan and his Lost Boys were staying. That way, they knew one of Peter's faithful Indian friends would tell Peter to leave. And that was just the beginning of Captain Blood's brilliant plan that would lead into the attempted killing of Peter Pan.

Princess Tiger Lily told Peter that the nine of them could all stay with the Indians in a few teepees until Peter had found another secret hideout for his Lost Boys. However, when they all arrived in the Indian area, it was chaos. Pirates were dragging the Indians out of their teepees and away from their fires in the direction out of the forest. Panicking, Tiger Lily got out her tomahawk and charged at one of the nearby pirates. The pirate, however, was too quick for Tiger Lily and picked her up with his huge, muscular arm. Screaming and kicking about, Tiger Lily seemed helpless compared to the large pirate.

Peter could not believe his eyes. He was so angered that he had been tricked yet again by Captain Blood. He took a bit of fairy dust from inside a pouch on his belt and tossed it on himself and the others. While everyone floated up, Peter was having a bit of trouble finding a happy thought. He could not stop thinking about how he had been outwitted by Captain Blood. Just then, he looked up to Emma, gazing down at him.

"I found my happy thought!" he said to Emma, "And it's you!" he shouted and flew off. For the previous hundred years, Peter's happy thought had been Wendy, but now it was the best feeling in the world to him to realize that Emma was his new happy thought, and that they could stay together forever, since she had no desire to ever leave Neverland.

Peter flew gracefully and speedily up towards the clouds that had begun to darken. Far below him, the pirates were carrying all of the Indians to the Black Castle. Peter knew that he had to somehow go and save his friends, but at the same time he knew that Captain Blood was going to try and kill him! So Peter tried to come up with a brilliant plan, but nothing was coming to him.

"The layout of the Black Castle is quite easy to understand," said one of the Lost Boys who flew up to Peter. He had large-rimmed glasses and braces and looked wise beyond his six years.

"I'm quite familiar with it too," Peter said and smiled.

"But do you know of the secret entrance, towards the back, under the turret, fourth from the right?" said the boy intelligently.

"No, I don't, in fact," said Peter, surprised at the boy's intellect on the secrets of the Black Castle, "So how do you know of it?" he asked suspiciously.

"I am quite an expert on the geography of Neverland, Peter," said the boy.

"If this secret entrance is where you say it is, you shall earn a nickname!" Peter exclaimed.

"Yippee!" shouted the boy and did a flip in the air excitedly.

"Now lead me to it!" yelled Peter and the boy flew speedily ahead of him, guiding him to the turret fourth from the right.

Meanwhile, Emma was setting up numerous traps with the other Lost Boys. They tied ropes down to trees, and hid them underneath the leaves, so when a pirate would step on the rope, they would be carried up to the treetops, and forced to hang there until someone cut them down. A few of the pirates fell into that trap, and all of the children exploded with laughter as the pirates hung helplessly upside down. Then, the children threw various berries and fruits at their faces, which was their idea of mirthless torture.

Following Tinker Bell's plan, the Lost Boys, plus Emma of course, all flew up to the tops of the trees and hurled coconuts at the pirates, knocking them all unconscious on the ground, and freeing the Indians that they were holding captive. When the pirates were unconscious they all flew to the ground and tied them up in vines, and then dragged them to the beach where the mermaids and other sea creatures could come and harm them. Since the children had to go to the Black Castle they had not enough time to harm the pirates themselves, so they quickly flew a bit across the sea through the stormy weather and lightning to the dangerous Black Castle.


	5. I Do Believe in Fairies

Chapter 5

I Do Believe in Fairies

When they were all within a fair distance of the Black Castle, Emma began to sense that the pirates would know that they would enter through the front, so she proposed they try and go in through another way. However, Tinker Bell flew to Emma's ear and informed her that there was not another known entrance. Emma objected to going through the front entrance since Captain Blood might be waiting there for them, so she told Tinker Bell to scurry down and look to see if he was.

Tinker Bell zoomed to the castle and back quite quickly, and when she returned she told Emma that no one was in the Black Castle, not even the Indians, and that it was completely empty. However, Tinker Bell had not checked underneath one of the walkways where Captain Blood was treading water very silently, or in any of the dark corners, where the pirates were waiting for Peter Pan, or anyone associated with him, to enter the Black Castle to suffer a painful death.

"But where is Peter?" asked Emma as they all flew from the stormy clouds to the Black Castle.

"I think back at the forest," replied a boy, "dealing with the pirates!"

"Shouldn't we wait for him?" Emma wondered, "We shouldn't enter the castle without Peter's help!"

"It'll be fine, Mother!" shouted one boy, "Father will come soon!"

Emma was flattered to be called mother by the young boys, and a smile spread across her face. She assumed that it was safe to enter the castle now that Tinker Bell had made sure everything was all right, so Emma flew in to the dreary, dark castle; the Lost Boys and Tink flying closely behind her.

Peter Pan and the boy landed on a castle wall on the southern end. The boy began to count the turrets from the right side, and when he came to the fourth, he pushed it aside, revealing a midnight-black hole. It seemed to look as if the chute was never ending, and the boy shuttered at the smell of death that rose from the depths. Peter wondered where the hole emptied out to, and the boy was not entirely sure. Thinking that it was their only choice as to enter the castle unnoticed, Peter and the boy dove through the hole, bracing themselves for whatever adventure was up ahead.

When Emma, the Lost Boys, and Tinker Bell entered the castle they could make out the faint shadows of people lurking in the far-off corners and could hear a distant ticking. Dreading whatever it might be that was awaiting their arrival, Emma spun around in the air to exit through the doors, but the doors shut with a loud bang, blocking out the luminosity of the lightning. Their happy thoughts were beginning to drain out of their minds, but they all managed to stay flying in the air for they all held on to that one happy thought that enlightened their mentalities. Tinker Bell was the only source of light in the castle until someone under the bridge rose and lit a bright candle.

"Well, I fail to see Peter Pan," said the cold, dark voice of Captain Blood. The candle lit his face, showing his intriguing smile and dark, green eyes. Emma flew in front of the Lost Boys to protect them from Captain Blood. The far-off ticking seemed to be coming from a corner, but no one paid much attention to it, for it was not too loud at all.

"But I believe he shall come to your rescue soon when he hears your cries for help!" Captain Blood said angrily. Several pirates came out of the dark corners, while others emerged from under the water and came up onto the ground, surrounding the children who began to sink to the ground.

"Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts!" Emma whispered to the Lost Boys urgently.

"Think happy thoughts," mocked Captain Blood as the band of pirates drew nearer, "When Peter Pan comes to your rescue he'll be done for!"

Just then, a pirate fired off a cannon, but instead of a cannonball exploding from it, an enormous net came soaring out, and it captured the group of Lost Boys, Emma, and Tinker Bell. They all tried to think their happy thoughts so that they could still fly, even with the net engulfing them, but the surprise and fear in the situation caused them to sink gradually down to the water, and then into it.

Tinker Bell, being as tiny as she was, flew up through the holes in the net, leaving the Lost Boys and Emma trapped underneath the water. She flew straight up to Captain Blood and began pulling on his ponytail. Captain Blood was being pulled across the bridge by his silky, blonde hair by a tiny fairy, and it was quite a funny sight to see.

Then, Captain Blood ordered for the pirates to retrieve the net from the water. Thinking that Captain Blood was going to release Emma and the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell let go of his hair, but the captain spun around and grabbed the fairy, and threw her violently against a nearby wall. Tinker Bell's light faded since she was very badly hurt, but still shone on bleakly as she fell to the cold, stone floor.

Abruptly the pirates pulled on the rope that was attached to the net and gradually pulled it from the water. The children were all gasping for air, and felt as though they had swallowed an entire ocean.

"I don't believe in fairies," Captain Blood whispered vituperatively to the fallen fairy. Tinker Bell's light began to fade faster.

"No!" the children screamed. Because of Captain Blood's remark, Tinker Bell was going to fade of all light and life at any moment. The shouts and cries of the children were so loud that some of the pirates covered their ears to escape the deafening noise. When the net was raised to an incredible height, Emma glanced below her, and could see only the dim light of Captain Blood's candle while he paced the floor. Tinker Bell's light was almost completely out.

"It's only a matter of minutes before Peter Pan arrives!" yelled Captain Blood as he pulled on a lever for the door to the castle to open.

And Captain Blood was correct, for at that very moment, Peter and one of the Lost Boys came into the Black Castle, not through the front entrance, but down a narrow slide. The slide seemed to go on forever, and the two had begun to feel a bit queasy, but finally, it began to level out. Then, they were spat out of the chute with an unknown force, and into the water of the Black Castle. Surprisingly, the noise they made when they hit the water was not loud at all, and Peter was relieved because he heard Captain Blood's cruel voice, and it was not regarding the sound of them hitting the water.

"Let out the crocodile, me hearties!" shouted Captain Blood.

The lightning flashed and it revealed a cage that stood in a corner. In the cage slept the same crocodile that had eaten Captain Hook. The crocodile was one of the most fearsome and gigantic things that Emma or the Lost Boys had ever laid their eyes upon! Its skin was a scaly green, its eyes a fierce orange, and its teeth sharp, pointy, and a putrid yellow. The Lost Boys shuddered at its appearance as Emma realized that the ticking that she had heard was the clock inside the crocodile's belly. She cursed herself for not thinking of that before and not escaping when they had had the chance.

"If Peter Pan doesn't come to your rescue, I'm afraid you shall all die a most painful death! Actually, come to think of it, you still shall die even if Peter Pan does come to your rescue!" said Captain Blood venomously.

The pirates lifted the cage's door and scampered away, hoping not to be eaten by the crocodile as well. The crocodile lifted his huge feet and stomped out of his cage and slid off the ground and into the water. Suddenly, the net began to lower when the pirates let go of the rope. It was lowering gradually, inching closer to the water. The crocodile lunged up out of the water, not at the net, but at Captain Blood. He jumped back, letting out a girly scream, and the children, despite the scary circumstances, giggled at Captain Blood's fear of the crocodile.

"Your name is going to be Slider 'cause you found that slide, okay?" said Peter to the boy as they peered around the side of the crocodile's cage at the terrifying scene. The net was incredibly close to the water, and even if the crocodile were too busy at trying to snap at Captain Blood, the children would all surely drown if the pirates continued to lower the net.

"Slider! That's a wicked cool name!" said the boy in a hushed voice.

"Well, I'm glad you like it," laughed Peter, "Now, Slider you have to go distract the crocodile! Use anything you can! Just go! We have to save the others!"

Slider sprinted around the corner of the cage towards the pirates who were holding the net as Peter flew upwards, thinking of Emma's smiling face. Peter wondered why the Indians were not being held captive, and then assumed that they had been saved by the smart plans of the Emma, the Lost Boys and Tinker Bell. That thought reminded Peter of Tinker Bell and how she had not flown with him up to the fourth turret and slid down the chute with him. Peter frantically darted his eyes around the castle, but he did not see the bright glow of his fairy. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Peter saw the faintest light, and he flew quickly to it, forgetting that the pirates could see him because of the radiantly flashing lightning.

"Thar' he flies!" screamed a pirate who was trying to make the crocodile stop biting at the captain. The pirates all looked over to Peter who was hovering over Tinker Bell, her light fading with every second.

"Tink! Tink! No, no, why are you so cold?" Peter said, tears forming in his eyes. He was reminded of the same experience that he had many years ago relating to Captain Hook and when Tinker Bell had sacrificed her life for his. That was when he began to chant the age-old saying, "I do believe in fairies, I do! I do!"

Peter screamed it over and over again, until all of the children were shouting it as well. Soon, the Indians in the forest were chanting it too, and then the mermaids at the bottom of the ocean, and then even Mrs. Smyth in St. Agnes Orphanage while she was being interviewed by the authorities for mistreatment of the orphans. (The authorities claimed that Mrs. Smyth was mumbling insane things and then were required to put her in an asylum.)

As if by magic, Tinker Bell's light began to come back. However, Peter was too focused on his fairy's wellness, for Captain Blood's sword was at Peter's throat by the time Tinker Bell was healthy once more. Peter had not even noticed that the pirates had tied the crocodile around its neck enabling them to control the creature. Reacting to the cold silver on his neck, Peter flew into the air, Tinker Bell now flying by his ear once again.


	6. The Kiss

Chapter 6

The Kiss

Captain Blood was angered at himself for not killing Peter when he had the chance, and stared menacingly at Peter with his intense, green eyes. Peter stared back, thoughts of hatred running through his mind on how Captain Blood had tried to kill his beloved fairy and his friends.

"I need my hat back, Pan," spat Captain Blood.

"All right then! I'll exchange the hat for the children in the net!" exclaimed Peter as he flew from side to side. Captain Blood cackled cruelly and shook his head.

"I'm afraid your dear Lost Boys shall be history, Pan," said Captain Blood. Peter looked to the net where Emma and the Lost Boys began to scream. The pirates had pulled the crocodile's mouth open with ropes, and they were lowering the net into the beast's mouth. Emma was seen among the rest, her eyes wet with tears, and her hands grasping the net in hope.

"Peter! Please help us!" Emma shouted.

The net was almost fully enclosed in the crocodile's mouth and Emma could feel the crocodile's sticky, hot breath upon her face. The pirates were laughing maliciously at the sight of the poor children being fed to the crocodile. The Lost Boys were screaming angrily at the pirates to let them go, and Emma was still shouting for Peter's help. Peter wondered where Slider had went and why he was not dealing with the pirates, but tossed the matter aside, for it was then up to Peter to save the day, yet again.

In the blink of an eye, Peter flew faster than he had ever flown before over to the net. He sliced the ropes with his sword, but before the net fell into the crocodile's mouth, he picked it up with his arm. Amazed by his unknown strength, Peter smiled proudly as he set the net down across the water and on the ground. He cut the net open and the Lost Boys poured out, thanking Peter for his brave efforts.

Emma was overwhelmed with fear, happiness, sorrow, and confusion. She had never felt so many feelings in her life all at once! She looked to Peter who gazed back at her. He brought her face close to hers, feeling the softness of her skin.

"Peter," was all that Emma could manage to whisper, for she was speechless as she looked at Peter's sun-kissed skin, and his curly, blonde hair, lying perfectly on his boyish face.

"I wish to give you…a thimble," said Peter.

"No," said Emma, a smile still spread across her rosy face, "A kiss," she said, and they leaned in closer and kissed. It was Emma's first kiss and she felt the most magnificent feeling in the world: love. Though it was Peter's second kiss, he believed that the kiss with Emma was more meaningful than the kiss with Wendy. He felt even happier, and more loved when he looked back into Emma's eyes.

"Now isn't that lovely!" shouted Captain Blood from across the water, "I had heard that Peter Pan had feelings, but I never thought the legend was true!"

Angrily, Peter turned to Captain Blood and flew over to the other side. The crocodile was flailing about, and the pirates ran over the stone bridge to escape from its terror, all except for Captain Blood, who stood a few meters away from the terrifying monster. Then, the ropes snapped off of the crocodile and it angrily roared, causing the castle to shake. Some of the stones began to tumble from the ceiling, and it seemed as though an earthquake had started. The crocodile roared again, louder that time, and the Black Castle shook more violently.

The Lost Boys and Emma started to think their happy thoughts and began to fly out of the castle because they feared that the Black Castle was about to collapse. The pirates all hopped into their small boats and began to row out of the castle entrance. Emma stayed back at the entrance, waiting for Peter.

"Peter! You must come! The castle is going to give way!" she shouted as stones from the ceiling fell down beside Peter and Captain Blood.

"It's now or never, Pan," yelled Captain Blood above the noise of falling rocks.

The crocodile roared again and rocks fell, blocking the entrance to the castle. Frightfully, Emma had to fly back so as not to get hit. She tried to move the rocks that had fallen, but it was hopeless. She could only pray that Peter would win the fight.


	7. Peter vs Blood

Chapter 7

Peter vs. Blood

Tinker Bell flew around the crocodile's eyes, distracting the monster from attacking Peter. The fierce captain knew the trick to flying, and grabbed Tinker Bell who was floating by the crocodile and squeezed her tightly.

"My happy thought is killing you, Peter Pan!" screamed Captain Blood as he released Tinker Bell from his deathly grasp. Tinker Bell's light faded again when Captain Blood let go of her, but all she needed was a bit of rest to restore her light since Captain Blood had squeezed so much of her magic out of her.

Captain Blood flew up to Peter and smirked at him murderously, swashing his sword in front of Peter's face. Being the talented swordsman that Peter was, Captain Blood was no match for the boy who would never grow up!

As the crocodile roared several more times, the castle seemed to be falling apart even more. Lighting was striking the castle, causing even more stones to fall, but that was not affecting Peter's swordsmanship at all, though it was affecting Captain Blood's. Furiously, Captain Blood struck Peter's sword and shouted in anguish when Peter blocked his shot.

"I did not expect this much out of a child!" yelled Captain Blood, fuming with anger and out of breath. He distanced himself from Peter so that he could catch his breath, but Peter would not allow such tactics so he flew rapidly over to the pathetic pirate.

"I'm sorry to say, Shadrach," said Peter as the captain flinched at his funny name, "But I expected you to be just this horrible!" he laughed.

The crocodile roared one last time, and another boulder fell from the ceiling, knocking Peter on its way down. Peter began to fall down to the ground; he could not stop himself from falling for the large stone had knocked him unconscious for a brief moment. Captain Blood smiled as he wiped the sweat off his face because he saw that Peter was falling directly into the crocodile's open mouth.

Right before Peter was swallowed hole by the crocodile, Slider flew to the rescue, snatching Peter's arm with all the strength he could muster. Peter woke just as Slider grabbed his arm and smiled confusedly at Slider.

"You're Slider, right?" Peter asked, completely delirious to what was going on. Tinker Bell used all the power left in her to fly up to Peter where she began to share with him the events of the night. Remembering instantly what was happening with the mention of Captain Blood's name, he flew up to the horrid man who was desperately trying to move the stones from the entrance.

"Well, well, well," said Peter as he tapped on Captain Blood's shoulder, "Thought you could escape before I awoke, aye Captain Shadrach-a-ma-bob?" laughed Peter. Captain Blood drew his sword once more, but Peter touched his shoulder gently and said, "It's no use, Captain. This castle is going to cave in at any moment, so I suggest you try to escape in any means possible!" Then, Peter flew to Slider and Tinker Bell who were lingering a few meters away.

"Up the slide!" shouted Peter, and Slider and Tinker Bell eagerly followed him to the hidden chute. Captain Blood, still floating by the entrance, could not move the stones. Hysterically he was trying to budge the rocks and boulders as the crocodile began to climb up the stones to eat him. Captain Blood began to scream in his high-pitched voice, but when he noticed that Peter was flying away in another direction, he stopped, and flew over the crocodile and followed Peter.

"Quickly! Up this way!" said Peter urgently to Tinker Bell and Slider. They flew speedily up the chute, Captain Blood pursuing them.

"Aye! You thought I was done for, didn't you, Pan?" screamed Captain Blood as he entered the chute. Peter, Slider, and Tinker Bell reached the fourth turret from the right, and climbed out, and waited for Captain Blood to emerge. A few seconds later, Captain Blood's head appeared in the hole, and he began to climb out. Peter, however, slammed his foot down on the captain's fingers, and Slider did the same. Captain Blood cringed as Peter and Slider lifted up their dirty feet. Then, Tinker Bell peeled off each one of Captain Blood's fingers, until the very last one hung on the edge.

"Please, Peter! Let's negotiate a deal, shall we?" begged Captain Blood.

Peter smiled at the wretched man and did the honor of peeling off his last finger from the edge. Bloody Shadrach Rackham's screams were heard miles away until the last crocodile's roar droned it out, and the Black Castle collapsed. Peter, Slider, and Tinker Bell flew off the castle wall and watched the Black Castle sink into the water, destroying the leader of evil in Neverland.


	8. Peace Restored

Chapter 8

Peace Restored

The next day, from dawn 'til dusk, was a time of joyous celebration because of the defeat of Captain Blood and the horrendous crew of the Jolly Roger. The Indians, fairies, and the Lost Boys all joined together in the Neverland forest, singing happy songs, dancing silly dances, and feasting on terrific food.

The weather was perfect in every aspect. The sun was brilliantly shining, and the clouds in the sky were not dark and stormy like they had been the night before when Captain Blood might have returned to power, but a wondrous pink. More flowers were blooming, some dark reds, and others a dazzling purple. Grasses seemed to be growing taller and greener with every breeze, and the shrubs plumper with every sunbeam.

Emma watched Peter admirably as he gave each and every one of the Lost Boys a nickname. It was a splendid ceremony! Peter made such a fuss about giving them names and it was so delightful to see the cheerful faces of the Lost Boys when they received their names. After Peter named them, he put a gold chain around their necks with an assortment of flowers dangling upon the chain, proving the children to be Lost Boys. Then, Peter told the boys to hustle over to Princess Tiger Lily's teepee where she would paint their faces to look like real warriors. The boys came out about an hour later, their faces painted the colors of red and blue with feathers sticking out of their hair and smiles spread across their cute faces.

The singing ceased as nighttime crept through the sky. Soon, the fairies began to do their magical dance where they flew through the air gracefully. The Lost Boys, being too young to understand the feelings of love, were remotely disgusted by the dance, and ran off to Princess Tiger Lily's teepee where they began to tell stories to the Indians (one Indian translated what the Lost Boys said) about good triumphing over evil. Peter and Emma, however, stayed behind.

Tinker Bell, who began to dance with another fairy, had recovered splendidly from the trying night before, and when she saw Peter and Emma dancing on the ground, she sprinkled fairy dust onto them, and they unexpectedly floated up to join the fairies in their beautiful dance.

Time seemed to stand still as Peter and Emma were swept off their feet into the air. They gazed at each other romantically, wishing for their amazing dance to never end. Emma became lost as she looked into Peter's eyes, and she felt a warm feeling enter through her body as he twirled her around through the air. Peter felt the same feeling of warmth as he cradled Emma in his arms. The night air calmed every other thought or feeling besides the love that they had for each other. All the two wished to do was be together until the end of time, and because they were going to stay in Neverland forever, it was a wish granted.


End file.
